Somebody get me a hammer
Wanna break all the clocks and the mirrors
And go back to a time that was different
A time when I
Didn’t feel like there was something missing
Now my body and mind are so distant
Don’t know how to escape from this prison
How can I free my mind?
– i can’t breathe, Bea Miller

---

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Spencer House: Living Room

Laura Spencer glanced up as her grandson came through the front door, smiled at him, then returned her attention to the phone. “How long does Spinelli think it’s going to take to decrypt both drives?”

“Oh, well, Helena’s is going faster,” Elizabeth said. “She had the same password for almost everything, so he wrote a program to unlock—never mind. That’s just a matter of getting them printed and organized. There’s—God, there’s so many. He’s going to do a batch a time, so we’re not overwhelmed. But there’s some files that had a different type of security, and he still can’t crack Andre’s decryption key.”

“Well, can’t Anna or Robert help with this? Andre wanted Anna to have the files—”

“I can’t tell you what Andre was thinking. He wanted her to have them but didn’t say anything and just left them in a snow globe—” Elizabeth huffed, and Laura could just picture her daughter-in-law rolling her eyes. “Honestly, he’s watched one too many Bond movies. Anna’s trying to get in to see Andre again, but I guess the WSB isn’t keen on digging up more bodies. They want it to go away.”

“All right, so what’s our plan?”

“Jason and I sorted through the first batch. I grabbed anything that looks medical, and he kept the rest. I have to call Drew to see what he wants. You can stop by the garage and grab some from him. Unless you want to drown in brain scans and medical reports—”

“That sounds terrible. Did you send a copy of the medical ones to Patrick and Robin?”

“They’re on the shared drive we gave to Lucky. They’re organizing on their end, but Patrick thinks we won’t have a full picture until we have all of them. You saw that drive’s content, Laura. It was like someone dumped everything at once. No folders. No organization. Just thousands and thousands of files to sort through. I mean, we’ll get our answers, but Helena isn’t making it easy. Spinelli’s trying to go by the date they were created or modified, but—” Elizabeth sighed. “I guess when we wanted a breakthrough, we should have been more specific.”

“I suppose. Well, at least it’s something. Maybe we’ll get a real break, and Luke and Lucky will find something in Turkey.”

“Let’s hope. I’ll talk to you later.” Laura ended the call and looked at Spencer. “How was lunch?”

“Good, I guess. Emma’s gonna stick around town until her parents get here, so we really just mourned the end of winter break.” Spencer leaned against the back of the sofa. “Was that Aunt Liz?”

“Yes.” Laura picked up some dishes from the table and went into the kitchen. Spencer trailed after her. “Did you walk home or—”

“Yeah, it’s not that far. You were talking on the phone about files. Are they, uh, the files you guys found in that law book?”

Laura frowned, studied her grandson. “How did you know about that?”

“I guess that’s a yes.”

“Spencer, I wanted you to come home to keep you close with everything that’s going on.” Laura dried her hands on a dish towel. “And because I wanted you to be with me. With your cousins and your friends. Not so you could sign up for the war.”

“All I did was ask about files, Grandmother.” Spencer shrugged, traced a pattern on the counter. “Is it breaking the law to confirm that they exist?”

“Yes, we found a thumb drive of files from Helena in the law book she left me in her will,” Laura said after a long moment. “But I don’t want you to worry about it. We’re handling it.”

“I can help. I want to help.” He leaned over the counter. “Let me read something or talk to someone, or—”

“No.” Laura shook her head. “Absolutely not. You’re fifteen years old, Spencer—”

“And I’ve already been kidnapped twice,” Spencer pointed. “My father is dead because of this. Can you—”

“Yes, your father is dead because of this,” Laura repeated. “My son. I lost him. I lost pieces of my other son. My daughter was kidnapped and nearly frozen to death because of the Cassadines.”

“I am a Cassadine, Grandmother. I have the right—”

“But you aren’t Helena. Or Stavros or Mikkos. Or Victor—or any of the terrible people that have come before. Neither of my sons ever asked to be part of this, but they weren’t given a choice. You have one, Spencer. Please. Go be a normal teenager. Don’t be part of this.”

Spencer opened his mouth, then looked away. “Yeah. Okay. Fine.”

She watched him leave, then sighed, knowing this wouldn’t be the end of the conversation.

Quartermaine Estate: Foyer

Monica Quartermaine grimaced, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. “Oh, I was hoping your voice was a waking nightmare.”

Tracy smirked and tossed her coat at Alice. “Hello, sister dear. Miss me?”

“Like a hole in the head,” Monica said. As she brushed past Tracy, she hissed, “It took you long enough.”

“A whole twenty-four hours. Sorry I didn’t hop on the first plane.” Tracy followed her into the front room and closed the double doors. “You were cryptic and useless on the phone. Tell me what they know and how close we are to disaster.”

“Close enough. They found the form that surrendered Drew to the state.” Monica folded her arms. “And it was dated six weeks after Susan died, so they know it wasn’t her.”

“Well, what did you expect?” Tracy demanded. “Did you want me to leave the kid in that place for an entire year for extra cover? Heather wasn’t a raving lunatic back then. She could have spilled her guts. And if Betsy Frank ever figured out who she’d been taking care of, we’d all be screwed.” She took a deep breath. “The form? That’s it?”

“You might not think that’s a lot, Tracy, but that’s because you were never a suspect,” Monica shot back. “As soon as they found that damn thing, all eyes turned on me. Drew and Robert came knocking on the same day. I’m the only one left standing who had a reason to want Drew gone.” She shuddered. “Oh, God. Listen to me. I didn’t—”

“No one thinks you wanted the kid dead, Monica. You just didn’t care where he landed in the system.”  Tracy went over to the minibar. “You said they know, but all you have is that they suspect. That’s not the same thing—”

“How else are they going to explain why Susan’s name is on a document after her death — and after Tolliver croaked in the hospital. It can’t be him either. So now they’re looking for an accomplice to murder! Take this seriously, Tracy!”

“Oh, I am. Believe me.” Tracy tossed back a shot of whiskey. “You said you didn’t kill Susan, and Tolliver confessed. What’s the problem?”

“The problem—” Monica took a deep breath. “It took years for Jason to consider himself part of the family. Now he has. He comes on Thanksgiving. His children are part of my life. Tracy, I can’t risk losing that—”

“Well, then you should have thought of that forty years ago—” Tracy stopped when Monica just glared at her. “Okay. Well, that’s water under the bridge—”

“Don’t act like you did me any damn favors. You didn’t want Susan’s boys anywhere near the Quartermaine name, either. Every dime that went to Jason was another that didn’t go to Ned. Another son was your worst nightmare, too.” Monica closed her eyes. “Oh, God. If I could just go back — if I could just have another chance—”

“Water under the bridge,” Tracy repeated, but more gently and her sister-in-law turned. “We were harder, colder women, Monica, who didn’t see or care that they were innocent children. They were pawns on a chessboard. I think we both have our regrets, but unless your conscience is bothering you enough to come forward—”

“Jason will just think that every terrible thing he believed about this family is true. And he’d be right. But that’s not who we are anymore, Tracy. That’s not who I am. I need this to go away. How do we make sure it stays buried?”

“I already have a cover story to explain why I’m home. I’m going to cause a little trouble at ELQ—oh, relax. It’s nothing Michael can’t handle. I don’t control enough of the company to do anything but irritate him. But it will distract them long enough to give me a chance to look into this. I want to see what they know. And to be sure that my—our—tracks were covered.”

“Okay. What do you want me to do?”

“Go on like normal. Spend time with Drew and Jason,” Tracy said. “Stop looking so damn guilty. You used to be a hard-ass bitch, Monica. Maybe that’s not the top layer anymore, but she’s somewhere underneath. Find her fast.”

Morgan’s Auto: Lobby

Sonny stepped inside the building, casting a dubious gaze around the room. Jason, in the corner by the window, straightened. He tied off the trash bag in his hand and tossed it by the door where a few more were piled.

“Hey,” Jason said, swiping a hand across his forehead. “Give me a minute.” He turned back to the counter. “How’s it looking over there, Spinelli?”

The hacker popped up from behind the high counter across the room. “Almost fit for human habitation, Stone Cold.”

“You can hire someone to do this, you know,” Sonny said.

“We did. They’re starting tomorrow.” Jason gestured for Sonny to follow him towards the open doorway in the back. “You can wait here. I’m gonna go wash up.”

“Uh huh,” Sonny said, still skeptical. The room where Jason had told him to wait was probably meant to be the office, but now it held little more than a battered desk that had probably been constructed in the 1940s with a rickety wooden chair behind it. By the windows, there was a circular table with two more damaged chairs that matched the one at the desk.

The table and the desk were stacked with papers, so Sonny went to the desk to sift through, curious as to where it all could have come from.

“Sorry about that. I wanted to get some of the worst of it before Carly comes to take a look at it,” Jason said. He closed the door. “I’m hoping she’ll take over making it more than just habitable. Was I expecting you today? I lost track of time—”

“No, no. It’s good. I’m on my way to pick up Joss at Kelly’s. Figured I’d stop in. See how it’s going.” Sonny held up the paper. “This is a WSB case file. Don’t tell me it was on Helena’s drive.”

“Yeah.” Jason reached for it. “It’s about an auction from 1981. Robert wrote it up. The Ice Princess was placed up for auction, then disappeared. I don’t really know much about it or how it fits in. I know it’s important, not why.”

“Yeah.” Sonny squinted, trying to place it. “I don’t know the lore. Elizabeth would.”

“I’ll ask her tonight, I guess. I was just hoping I could do this part on my own. She already took the medical stuff, and that was plenty.” Jason set the report back on the stack. “I don’t know the backstory though, so I can’t really fit in the context. All I think I ever know was that Helena kidnapped Lucky, brainwashed him, and then there was something with Stavros.”

“Most of that went down while you were out of town. You got the tail end of the first go around, I think, and then the beginnings of the last time. It’s like finding puzzle pieces but you don’t know what the finished product is supposed to look like. Elizabeth and Laura can make it fit, and you’ll eventually get the gist.” Sonny eyed the stack on the desk, then gestured at the table. “You’ll have plenty of reading to catch up.”

“I don’t even want to think about it. Maybe this is Helena’s revenge,” Jason muttered. He dragged his hand through his hair.

“I actually wanted to ask you about something Diane said. She thinks I should get a new lawyer. For me,” he added when Jason looked up, frowned. “She didn’t get into the details because it’s about your divorce, but I got the sense that there’s been some legal filing other than the papers before Christmas.”

Jason grimaced. “Diane left me a voicemail, but I haven’t gotten back to her yet. Alexis filed a motion to subpoena all my finances. Property. Bank accounts. Drew and I were still digging all that out. There’s things he did when he was…in control,” he said after a moment. “And he should get those, but he’s being stubborn—anyway. I have to get a new accountant, I guess. I don’t know who you’re using. Since…”

Since Bernie had died the same night Jason had gone off the pier. “Yeah. I’ll get you in touch with Donnie. He’ll put things to rights. Like I said, Diane didn’t get into the specifics, but if Sam’s going for half of everything — some of that is mine.”

Jason exhaled slowly. “She’s asking for the coffee company? But—” He closed his mouth, clearly stunned. Just like Carly, Sam had always known the coffee company was a lucrative front to hide their smuggling income. Just like the handful of nightclubs Sonny controlled was able to hide their gambling profits. Jason didn’t have his hand in any of that — he’d always preferred buildings to put his money in. Assets that Sam was going after now.

“You didn’t know that? Don’t you and Diane talk?”

“I told you, she left a message and said not to worry right now because she was filing a motion to dismiss it, so I didn’t make it a priority. She didn’t go into the details, and I never thought…” Jason sat behind the desk, a bit scattered. “Sam knows better. Or I thought she did.”

“You ever file a response to her divorce papers? Don’t you only got twenty days or something?”

“Business days,” Jason said absently. “I have until the twenty-third. Diane’s handling it.”

“You’re not going to let her have custody, are you? Because this is why she’s doing this. She’s trying to scare you into letting her have her way. She knows what she’s doing. And if she didn’t, Alexis damn well did. She handled my first divorce from Carly.”

Jason exhaled slowly, dragged a hand down his face. “No. No. I’m not. But I didn’t really—I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me. You did nothing wrong. Except marry her. I should have locked you in a damn basement the second you told me you’d reunited with her,” Sonny muttered. Or been a better friend while Jason had been contemplating a future with Elizabeth. “Diane can end this tomorrow. You know what she can do.”

“I know that she still has information that might be a problem for Sam, but not as much as it used to be,” Jason said. “A lot of those statutes ran out—”

“The ones you know about. You never wanted to know the full story about what she did before Port Charles.”

“It didn’t matter to me. And it still doesn’t. It doesn’t,” Jason repeated when Sonny just rolled his eyes. “Look, that’s an option if we need it. But let Diane work the system. She’s confident she can get the scope reduced. And maybe Sam will back down—”

And maybe pigs would fly, but Sonny wasn’t going to argue the point right now. “Fine. I just hate to see Sam push you around on this. You didn’t do anything wrong—”

“Hey—”

They both turned at the new voice. Cameron, in the doorway, smiled nervously. “Sorry. Mom said I was supposed to come by for a ride to the house. Spinelli said to come back.”

“Yeah, sorry. I didn’t realize how late it was.” Jason sent Sonny a meaningful look which meant drop it, and Sonny nodded.

“Hey, Mr. C,” Cameron said. “Joss is waiting not so patiently back at the diner, so good luck with that.”

“Yeah, I’ll head over now. You know, you can call me Sonny,” Sonny told him.

“Not in a million years, Mr. C,” Cameron said, and Sonny laughed. He patted Cameron’s shoulder as he left.

Jason wanted Diane to handle it. He wanted to believe Sam would see reason.

Sonny wasn’t interested in leaving anything to chance. If Jason didn’t want to deal with it head on, Sonny would have to take care of it.

Kelly’s: Dining Room

“I think maybe Emma and I could be friends this time around,” Joss said, sipping her third milk shake. “I mean, you and I get along now, so anything’s possible.”

Trina didn’t think Joss would be making that claim if she knew all the ways Trina had visualized stabbing Joss with a straw all afternoon, but if Joss wanted to live in a world of delusion, that was her choice. She continued to scrub down the table.

“Plus, the whole reason Emma and I got off the wrong foot was that she stole my soulmate. I mean, yeah, she can argue that she saw Cam first, but—” Joss picked up her shake and followed Trina to the counter. “But now that we’re not fighting over the same boy, we could totally bond, right?”

“You were never fighting over Cameron,” Trina told Joss. “Emma never had to do more than lift her pinky and Cam went running. He never, ever thought of you that way.”

Joss narrowed her eyes. “He could have. You don’t know.”

“I do know. I was there.”

“Okay, so then why do you and I not get along? Because we never fought over a boy—”

“For the same reason you didn’t like Emma.” Trina shrugged. “I was another girl that Cameron paid attention to. Even before we started dating. You had an issue with me from the first day we met in fifth grade.”

“I did not—”

“You did. I was friends with Emma and Cam, and therefore I was the enemy. You’re getting better about sharing him, Joss, but you still think he’s yours.” Trina tipped her head. “What’s that about? Doesn’t Oscar have an issue with you always being obsessed with Cam?”

Joss set her milkshake down with a thud. “I am not obsessed with him. You just never liked me, okay?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you get a little truth that hurt?” Trina snorted and started to sort through her receipts. “You know, I was talking to my mom about this a few weeks ago, and she thought it was a hysterical that you’re just like your mother.”

“I am—” Joss stopped. “I am nothing like my mother.”

“Really? Your mom got all hot and bothered last month because your uncle Jason—who isn’t even your uncle—wasn’t bothering with her. You told me yourself that she was being really mean to Cam’s mom. And now any time a girl comes near Cameron, you’re all bitchy and possessive.”

“I am not. You’re the one who can’t handle that his best friend is a girl—”

“I never—”

“No! No! I’m not like my mother.” Joss’s eyes suddenly brimmed with tears, and Trina closed her mouth. “I’m not like her! I would never try to hurt someone else just to feel better. Take it back.”

“Joss—”

“Cameron is my friend, okay? And he’s always been my friend, even when things are hard, and I get annoying. But he’s my friend. Maybe I liked him for a while when we were kids because he’s so nice and sweet, and I don’t have a lot of that in my life. And he was so nice to me when my mom was dating Franco and all the other kids were making fun of me, and he never did!” Joss swiped at her cheeks. “So you’re damn right I’m protective of Cameron. He took care of me then, so I take care of him now.”

Trina exhaled slowly. She came around to the counter and sat on the stool next to Joss. “I forgot about that. What happened at school when your mom was with Franco. I didn’t—I wasn’t one of them, you know.”

“I know.” Joss smiled at her a bit weakly. “Maybe back when we were kids, I was jealous of any girl who looked at Cameron, but it’s really not like that now. He’s just my friend. Oscar—he’s great. And I really like him. I think maybe I could love him, you know? Cam’s safe from me. He always was because you’re right. He never wanted me.”

“I didn’t mean it that way, Joss. I’m sorry. And you’re not like your mother. I shouldn’t have said that. My mom doesn’t know you.”

“I thought we were getting along better, but you’ve been so pissed off at me all day. Did I do something? Because sometimes I do, and I don’t know about it. Cam usually lets me know when I’m being clueless—”

“It’s not you.” Trina sighed and went back to work. “It’s—I know it’s stupid. It really is. But it’s Emma.”

“Oh.” Joss nodded. “Yeah, I figured. Okay, I was having fun with that part. Sorry. I was kind of enjoying having Emma be the one on the outside looking in for once, when it was always the other way around before. She broke up with Cam, you know? It was her idea. He wouldn’t have done that in a million years. And he was all sad and sappy for months. But now he’s not because of you. So now she gets to see what she threw away, and maybe that shouldn’t make me happy, but it does.” She frowned. “Okay, so maybe I’m little bit like my mother.”

Trina laughed, and then Joss did, too. “It’s stupid. Cameron’s great. He’s not going to break up with me because his middle school girlfriend is moving home. You’re right. She broke up with him, and now we’re together, and it’s perfect. But Emma’s my friend, too. Maybe we can all be friends this time,” she said. “It’d be interesting.”

“That’s for sure.” Joss glanced down at her phone. “Oh, that’s Uncle Sonny. He’s in the parking lot. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Webber House: Kitchen

It wasn’t exactly the evening that Elizabeth had planned — which had been dinner with Jason and the boys, and then maybe some cuddling with Jason on the sofa after the boys went to bed for the night. They’d decided on no overnight stays with the boys in the house, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t find other ways to enjoy the new phase in their relationship.

Instead, Jason had brought Spinelli over for dinner and the boys had argued to eat in the living room with their video games as one last hurrah before they returned to school — leaving Elizabeth in the kitchen, being quizzed on Cassadine lore.

“Laura would probably have more of the specifics,” she said, picking at the cheese on her pizza. “But the Ice Princess was an uncut diamond that everyone was obsessed with. Um, the auction you read about — I remember Laura telling me about it. The diamond was sent to Port Charles, and everyone was trying to find it. Alexandra Quartermaine — a distant cousin,” she said, when Jason frowned. “She was dating one of the Cassadine brothers. I told you there were three, remember? Mikkos, Tony, and Victor. Tony was a playboy, and he was dating Alexandra back then.”

“What was so interesting about this diamond?” Spinelli asked. “Couldn’t the Cassadines buy any that they wanted?”

“Oh.” Elizabeth frowned. “Well, back then, originally, I don’t know that there was anything special about the diamond itself. It was made into a statuette or something, and there was a formula hidden in the base.” She flipped through the file Jason had shown her and tapped the picture. “Here, see? This hid a formula that Mikkos Cassadine used for his weather machine.”

“Weather machine,” Spinelli repeated.

“Yeah, that’s why Robert was looking for it. He wanted to stop Mikkos. He was threatening to freeze the world. Anyway, Laura could tell you some really amazing stories about all of that. So could Luke — he used to tell them to Lucky like bedtime stories when he was kid.” She smiled faintly. “When we ran away, we used to sleep under the docks. I got scared a few times, and it was how he’d keep me calm.”

“You slept under the docks,” Jason said, a bit surprised. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, I was feeling rebellious, and my grandmother wouldn’t let Lucky sleep on my floor. Of course, now that I’m a mother, I have so much sympathy for Gram, but back then—well, you know. If someone told me not to go through a door, I’d think about nothing else. So, anyway, I don’t remember a lot about what happened in Greece. Mikkos died, and so did Alex and Tony. Luke and Laura got away.”

She reached for her soda. “The next time I think I remember hearing about the Ice Princess was when Lucky came back. Luke had the diamond, and then Helena got her hands on it. It was used as the anchor to control Lucky when he was being brainwashed, and Ice Princess was one of the control words.” Elizabeth shuddered. “So, it definitely fits in with Cassadines trying to control people, but I’m still surprised to find it in these files. Helena wasn’t part of the Ice Princess stuff. At least not that I know of.”

“What happened to the diamond?” Jason asked. “Do the Cassadines still have it?”

“You know, I’m not sure. Maybe. I’ll ask Lucky the next time he checks in. I’m supposed to hear from him tomorrow.”  She nodded at the folders. “You should ask Laura, though. There might be pieces I left out.”

Elizabeth still had hopes that the night could be salvaged, but by the time she had dinner cleaned up and the boys were heading up to their rooms, Spinelli was packing his things up and she realized with a start that Jason was going to be driving him home.

“Oh, you’re leaving?” she asked, trying to hide the disappointment. It had been a long day, she told herself. And they’d been looking for answers for weeks.

“Yeah. I want to get a shower. I washed my hands at the garage, but—” Jason nearly shuddered and she laughed. “Do you have work tomorrow?”

“Yeah, but I’ll be home tomorrow night if you want to come by.” She glanced at Spinelli who was waiting at the door, then stepped back from Jason. “I’ll see you then.”

Jason didn’t notice her step back—he just leaned in to kiss her briefly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Jason followed Spinelli out the door, and she went over to lock it, watching as they climbed into his SUV. Stupid to be disappointed, she thought. They were adults in the middle of a serious situation. There’d be plenty of time for them in the future.

She went upstairs to check on the boys and confiscate any electronics they thought she didn’t notice. Mother and Cassadine historian, Elizabeth thought wryly. Just what she’d always wanted.

 

---

NEXT WEEK

“I can’t go home,” Lucky cut her off, and she closed her mouth. “Not until I know that Helena didn’t lay one more trap for my family. I can’t. We thought she was gone, didn’t we? And then, from beyond the grave, she came back and almost had Jake killing a ballroom full of people, including himself and his mother.” He shook his head. “I want the world to forget those boys were ever Spencers. Because maybe then whatever Cassadines are left will leave them the hell out of this war.”

—

“So maybe I am angry that Jason came home and ignored me. How was I supposed to know what he wanted! How was I supposed to know that he even cared—he went straight to you—

“But he did come here,” Sonny said, and she stumbled to stop. “Before he came to me. He called you from Russia, but Drew picked up the phone, so Jason hung up. When he got to Port Charles, he came here. To the penthouse.”

“No—” Sam swallowed. “No, he didn’t.”

—

A moment later, Monica was in the doorway, her cheeks a bit flushed. “I’m sorry to just show up here without—”

“You can always stop by,” Jason interrupted, and she smiled at him. “Now if Edward were to just show up without invitation—” He stopped. “I forgot for a minute,” he realized, and her smile turned wistful. “He was—he was still here when I—”

“He always did seem immortal. He passed just a little while later. He never knew—I think if he’d lost another grandchild or thought he had, it would have killed him then and there. He never gave up hope you’d come back to us.”

← Chapter 41 | Chapter 43 →